the_use_of_spanish_in_political_campaignsfandomcom-20200213-history
After Population Growth Proves Relevancy What, then, is the Message?
The message, it seems, is one that attempts to take advantage of the level of increased cultural diversity expressed in the current U.S. reality. This message purports to support a policy of pluralism (multicultural understanding) but, yet, it seems as though the very essence/substance of the message is focused on the political gain that the use of stereotypical, mass media messages will afford. A message to the "Spanish speaking community" is really a message targeted at the illegal immigrants that the mainstream perspective (ideology) renders relevant in all discourse on Latino/Hispanic issues. It is a message that fails to account for the numerous origins and diverse prospects and interests of the Hispanic community; it is, therefore, a message that commodifies the Spanish language—re-cycles it into a resource—in order that it may be easily converted into political gain—buzz words and rehashing surface issues without substance. This means that this usage of the Spanish language codifies and resupplies/reproduces the covert prejudices made iconic with Spanish-speaker and Latino/Hispanic being conflated—representing the worst depictions of the ideal mind, and, therefore, it does nothing to further the incorporation of Hispanics/Latinos into an egalitarian position at the table of contemporary U.S. politics. Campaign Spending And the Message Within .The spending for Spanish-Language TV ads has increased at a faster rate than other portions of TV ads. According to the article'' 'Data Dive: US TV Ad Spend and Influence'', “Spanish-language TV spending increased by 9.4% even as overall TV spend grew by 3.3%” in 2012. This is an increase from the following year. In 2011, Spanish-Language TV only accounted for “5.9% of total expenditures". According to Joseph Torres and Josh Stearns, authors of article “Missing Out: Political Ads, Spanish-Language TV and the Latino Vote”, 12 million Latinos cast a vote in the 2012 presidential election. Latinos make up 17% of the population, also “making up a significant portion of the electorate in swing states like Colorado, Florida and Nevada”. This article participates in the trending view on the use of Spanish Language in political campaigns. That view is referred to as the 'commodification' of the Spanish language. Janet Fuller, in her book Spanish Speakers In The USA, 'commidification' of the Spanish language is defined as using this the Spanish language as a commodity for gain. Spanish is used as a tool to gain control of a people through their language for a gain of some sort, such as political support or consumer interest. The Spanish Language is seen as a commodity or resource to gain political support. According to Emily Deruy, author of the article Spanish-Language According to the article Spanish-Language Political Ad Money Just a Drop in the Bucket, “Democrats spent $12.4 million on more than 15,000 Spanish-language ads compared with the $9.7 million Republicans spent on more than 8,500 ads”. Totaling at 6.2 %, or roughtly 22.8 million of the budget according the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (as cited in Deruy 2013). The Spanish-Language ads are believed to be a significant influence in the outcome of the Latino vote. In the 2012 presidential election, Latinos were reported as having a record 10 % of the vote (Deruy 2013). Many believed that we have just touched the surf of what Spanish-Language ads can do for elections. Javier Palomarez, President and CEO of the USHCC, believes that "neither party seems to have fully gotten the message ... Investment in Spanish-language advertising is a mere fraction of what it should be" (as cited in Deruy 2013). This creates a misconception that Hispanics or Latinos are a homogeneous group. The article Truth about Hispanic Consumers: Myths vs Reality, assert that their is a myth that the Hispanic population is a homogeneous group. Jody Agius Vallejo, author of Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican-American Middle Class believes that “marketers attempt to homogenize this population in terms of national origin and language, and are quick to view Hispanics as a monolithic ethnic group” (as cited in Truth about Hispanic Consumers: Myths vs Reality). Hispanics are not a homogeneous group as the media suggest. Vallejo says “Latinos identify with different racial groups, … and hail from many different countries, each with their own unique political and social histories and cultural elements” (as cited in Truth about Hispanic Consumers: Myths vs Reality). '' The use of Spanish-Language tv ads may also create issues for English dominate Hispanics. According to the US Census Bureau, 12 million americans reported speaking Spanish at home. Spanish-Language tv ads create a disconnect among English monolingal Hispanics, "And English-dominants may be the future of the American Hispanic population: As new generations of Hispanic consumers feel removed from their forebears’ countries of origins, many no longer speak Spanish" (''Truth about Hispanic Consumers: Myths vs Reality). With the loss of the Spanish language with new generations, many are questioning Hispanic identity. In attemp to define what 'Hispanic' means, Jody Vallejo found that about "6 percent of Americans with Latino ancestry do not actually identify themselves ethnically as Latino". Vallejo admitts that this is a small number , but stresses that "the proportion of Americans who do not identify with their Latino roots is likely to increase as Latinos lose the Spanish language" (as cited in Truth about Hispanic Consumers: Myths vs Reality). As Janet Fuller outlined in her book Spanish Speakers in the USA, language is not maintained over generations. Fuller asserts that language is loss over generations occur with the first generation immigrant is dominant in the minority language. The second generation is bilingual, and the third is dominant in the majority language (Fuller 2013). This loss of language overtime, in connection with the media's homogenic view of Hispanics with Spanish-Language tv ads may leave many English dominant Hispanics to feel disconnected. A "Gallup" to Reality "Hispanic registered voters, however, put healthcare and all economic issues '''before' immigration, which 12% name as their most important issue''."--''Hispanic Voters Put Other Issues Before Immigration, Lydia Saad, Gallup.com Among the more basic requirements for political candidates and their message to be truly in earnest--at least as far as can be concluded to a reasonable degree-- Is accurate and thoughtful translations of their political material. As has been the case for the past presidential election, we see both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party vying to spread their political message to the widest strategic audience. This is basic, but is not always the case, as some may neglect professional translators/writers who could more accurately handle such tasks in favor of patch work--at best--direct translations that lack clarity and come off as uncaring, insensitive and exploitative. But an equally important (and possibly less basic) aspect, however, is the actually substantive issues which are salient to the Hispanic communities to which these so called translations are deployed. “''Obama's ability to build support or, more specifically, registration and turnout, among Hispanics in 2012 is widely seen as critical to his ability to win re-election. Thus, both candidates are carefully wooing the Hispanic vote.”—Gallup Barack Obama attempted to win over the Hispanic Vote with pleas to what seems to be perceived as the number one issue among Hispanics (as a whole), Immigration. This was also true of the Mitt Romney campaign efforts, in the 2012 presidential race. But there are larger issues that plague the minds of Hispanic Americans and those include the economy (surprise), healthcare, and unemployment. Yes, it would seem as though immigration is still an important issue, but it is a misconception to believe that it is the only issue—or, rather, the most important issue; as the Gallup poll shows, Hispanic opinion changes based on s spectrum of factors. These factors include place of origin and familial generation. The first generation/ immigrant groups tend to weigh immigration to a greater degree than those who have been in the U.S. for longer periods or were born in the U.S. What this shows is a heterogeneity that pervades all walks of life and with further analyses of U.S. adult opinions we see that Hispanic’s in the U.S. hold congruent opinions—holding the economy and healthcare as top priorities. One thing that should be noted is that the percentages representing opinions of those surveyed change depending on factors other than U.S. nativity or generational groupings, but, it seems, registered Hispanic voters in the U.S. favor economics and-- to a greater degree-- healthcare over immigration. It would therefore seem as though the issues which plague Hispanic/Latino communities are as varied as many Americans, economic stability. The specificity of achieving such stability is another issue in itself, though. The Democratic Party and President Barack Obama won an overwhelming majority of the Latino vote. According to the PEW Research Center, “''Latinos voted for President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71% to 27%, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Project of the Pew Research Center''” (PEW). The Democratic Party has seemingly won over this constituency as a whole. Some argue that it is because the party is less apt to demonize the image of Hispanic voters through heavily confli cting policy propositions including harsher border control and less lenient immigration policies which have a great deal of collateral damage as they impact the perceptions about the Latino community and to some extent, due to the constant influx of migrants, affect communities. Conclusion Thus, as this investigation has seen, it is clear that the Hispanic/Latino community exists within the same strain of diverging opinions as other U.S. citizens. These people deserve respect and honesty. It is clear that the vast majority of Hispanics within the U.S. do not capitalize upon their right to vote. Theirs is a distinct level of voter’s apathy, a feeling of neglect and despair; Republicans seem to be catching on, though, of the majority of Hispanic/Latino community members who did vote, most favor the Democratic side of the two-party machine. The substantive issues are still neglected, instead we see appeals to superficial marks of distinction, often times bordering the stereotypical. The so called "Hispanic Awakening" is no more than a false equivocation based in formless, partial parsing of exit poll numbers; if one interprets the increase in the total number of Hispanic voters and ignores the relative loss in percentage of voters, then, sure, we can say there seems to be a message that is clicking with said community. But, in reality, if we are focused on the many elements affecting the political positioning of the U.S. Hispanic/Latino population, then we see that constant immigration and population growth give rise to a larger voting pool, but as it stands, the vast majority of the eligible voters feel dejected and unheard. Therefore, ultimately, it would seem that the use of Spanish within political campaigns is not enough to bridge the gap, to connect with a cultural group that is becoming--nay, has been--a staple, a thread, within the fabric of U.S. social structure. A group of persons who face a reality that is at once both distinguished and indistinguishable from the non-Hispanic U.S. social happenings. We and they(us and them—together as one both centripetal and centrifugal in our coexistence, not solely American in identity and English speaking, but neither are we altogether Hispanic/Latino, and/or Ethnic group of ones self-choosing, at all times ) are inundated with constant rhetorical drivel that subsumes a mainstream appeal, but, little by little, it unravels at the seams-- revealing little more than the shallow, unchanging message of American conformity that is incongruent with the heteroglossic reality of U.S. life; repeating perceptions and illusionary ideals that promote status quo pervasion and leave little room for addressing the concerns that Hispanics and non-Hispanic U.S. citizens face. Sources PEW Hispanic Latino Voters in 2012 Election Gallup Poll: Hispanic Voters